A bread loaf stuffed with chopped dill pickles and cheese, baked until warm and crusty. With the loaf already pre cut into chunks, this Cheesy Dill Pickle Pull Apart Bread is ready to serve right from the oven.
There’s this thing around here. It’s kind of crazy. It’s a dill pickle phenomenon. But before you swipe away, you must know it’s not just a trend that popped up and has fizzled away. Like those pickle shots people were doing a few years ago. Seriously, there are local places serving items featuring dill pickles that have customers raving. Yes, there are deep fried pickles at various food trucks and restaurants but here are a few examples of local places that have embraced the dill pickle in ways you might not consider. And they have inspired this crazy recipe!
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The Chip Ship is conveniently (or maybe inconveniently, haha) located right down the street from me. Yes, on The Old Cut! They added dill pickle fries to their menu and people can’t get enough of them. No, they aren’t dill pickles cut into fries, they’re actually real hand cut fries topped with dills and secret ingredients that we’ve all tried to figure out.
Not far away, a local pizza place serves a Dill Pickle Pizza and it’s their most popular menu item. It’s not a tomato sauce based pizza but a creamy, cheesy sauce and the pie is topped with sliced dills! Even the biggest sceptics have been won over. They don’t have a website but you can find them on Facebook at The Catherwood and the Kiln.
And, right down the street from the dill pickle pizza you can find dill pickle bread. The Good Bread Company makes this loaf that is so good, when they bring it to local markets it’s the first to go! Although my recipe is made with regular bread, Dill Pickle Bread would be over the top, don’t you think?
How to make Cheesy Dill Pickle Pull Apart Bread
Pull Apart Breads can be found in many shapes, sizes and varieties. For this one I intentionally used an oblong shaped loaf. Because it’s shaped like a pickle! But feel free to use any shape and variety of bread as long as it’s unsliced. You want large chunks for this. And, day old bread is actually best because it’s easier to slice and it bakes up perfectly. Just slice the loaf in a cross cross pattern almost to the bottom, leaving it intact.
The types of cheese you choose are again up to you but you want some cheese that has a stronger flavour, like a sharp older cheddar, and one cheese that is more melty and stretchy. And shred some extra to sprinkle over top too. I love Oka cheese for the melty component but Gouda would be good too. Mozzarella is very stretchy and would be great for people who don’t like a strong cheese. And yes I make mine with homemade Dill Pickles!
Don’t just spread the cheesy dill mixture over top of the bread. You want to get some poked down inside the slices too. Take your time to ensure every chunk has some of the mixture. Don’t forget the ends! It takes a bit of time to get it well stuffed but you need to wait for the oven to preheat anyway. Adding some extra fresh dill to the top makes for even more dill flavour and helps identify what’s hiding inside the bread.
Lay the bread on a large sheet of foil on a baking sheet. Nestle the crust with the foil by crimping and folding it so the outer crust is covered. This way the outer bread won’t get too crusty before the cheesy interior is well baked and bubbling. After about 15 minutes, open up the foil and let the bread bake another 10 – 15 minutes until the cheese is well melted and slightly golden. Don’t let it get too brown.
Serve the bread hot with lots of napkins and a few knives. That way after the chunks are pulled out you’ll be able to cut pieces off the bottom crust which you certainly don’t want to leave behind.
If you make Cheesy Dill Pickle Pull Apart Bread, consider leaving a comment or rating below!
Ingredients
- 1 large French or Italian bread loaf uncut, day old is best
- 1 ¼ cup shredded sharp aged cheese such as Cheddar
- 1 ¼ cup shredded softer cheese such as Oka or Gouda
- 1 cup chopped dill pickles
- ½ cup Ranch dressing
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- With a long bread knife, slice the loaf into long horizontal slices and then into vertical slices in a criss cross pattern. Cut almost all the way through, leaving the bottom crust intact. Chunks should be about 2 inch squares.
- Shred cheeses and reserve ¼ cup of each type for topping the loaf.
- Add 1 cup of each of the shredded cheeses to a large bowl. Add chopped dill pickles, Ranch dressing and chopped fresh dill. Combine well.
- Preheat oven to 350° and ensure rack is set in the middle of the oven. Lay a large sheet of foil on top of a baking sheet large enough to hold the bread. Carefully move the cut loaf onto the foil.
- Spoon about half of the cheese and dill mixture on top of the bread, spreading around evenly to the edges. Using a fork and your fingers, add the remaining mixture to the bread openings, filling as evenly as possible into the openings. Top with reserved shredded cheese.
- Nestle foil around the outer crust of the bread, using a crimping or folding method to hold the foil in place.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until the cheese is starting to melt. Pull back the foil and return to the oven for 10 to 15 more minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browning. Sprinkle reserved fresh dill over top if desired.
- Serve hot with lots of napkins and a few knives to cut away crust pieces when chunks have been pulled away.
Oh, this recipe is going to be a must try for me! I’ll try dill pickle anything!
Can this dip be served cold as a spinach and artichoke dip?
Hi Cindy,
I haven’t tried it cold but it would work. I think the hot version would be better though!!
Perfect, and delicious! Definitely going to bookmark this, and make this for my co-workers to try! (We all have a serious obsession for pickle infused foods 🤣 )
Only thing I wonder is if bacon is added to it, would that over power the pickle flavor……
Hi James,
Hmmm, I like the idea of bacon. I think it would be a good combo as long as you don’t go too crazy. Let me know if you try it!
When does the reserved cheese go on?
Oops, sorry, I have revised the instructions to clarify that. It’s added to the top of the bread before baking. Thanks for catching that!